Good afternoon,

I have a 2008 Dodge Caravan SXT and am hearing a noise when I accelerate. The noise can be heard when I accelerate from 50 mph and above. I would describe this noise as a propeller on a plane. When I decelerate I hear the noise as well. I've read a few threads where people have mentioned this as a whining noise. It may be the same thing. Any options as to what may be the problem? I've read a few threads where some have stated to change the water pump while others have said to flush transmission and replace.

I use to have a 2004 Dodge Caravan SXT and it had a problem where I would hear a whine from the steering wheel. This whine is not similar to the 2008 propeller/whine noise. I'm a bit worried as this vehicle is my daily and I travel 30 miles each way to work and home.

I haven't had any problems with drive ability & the transmission shifts gears without any problems. Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you.

 

Hi AliG,

If you're in need of diagnosis/repair at your Chrysler dealership and require any assistance, let us know. We're happy to help make an appointment!

Kori
Dodge Social Care Specialist

 

Thanks Kori. I've heard the transmission filter could be clogged as well. Does anyone have any experience with the issue I'm having? I called the dealer and the service advisor said it would be $110 just to run a diagnostic test. I've also heard stories where owners went to the dealer & they changed several parts only to find out the issue was not corrected.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

Can anyone help me with this?? I have scheduled an appointment with the dealer this Saturday. I have read the issue either could be the transmission filter is clogged, water pump filter is clogged, or CV shaft. Please help!

 

If the noise sounds like a plane taking off as you accelerate and landing as you slow down, then it is a wheel bearing issue. While you are driving, try to listen to see if it is coming from the driver or passenger side of the car. I heard the same noise on my 2010 Caravan. I would suggest replacing both of you can because once one goes, it's not long until the other one does the same. Mine were within a few months of each other. Hope this helps.

 

Thank you Sww! Is this a typical issue on these vans? I purchased the van used with 32,000 miles and now it is just shy of 40,000. Also do you have a idea of how much it will cost to replace the wheel bearings from a dealership? When you said to replace both, are you talking about replacing both the front and back wheel bearings?

Also I want to know what sort of recalls are available for my van. That way I can tell the dealership to fix any necessary issues. I did a google search and it seems there are several recalls. Does any know of a database where I can print these recalls and take to the dealership?

 

I believe this is a typical issue. I know as soon as it started happening I looked up the symptoms and figured out what it was. I had around 50,000 - 60,000 miles when mine went. I imagine it will be pretty expensive to have done at a dealership. I did mine on my own and bought the parts from my brother who works at a local NAPA. Seems like you could buy a pair for around $100 online if you knew how to replace them. They aren't that difficult, but you obviously need to know what you are doing.

Also, I was talking about replacing both the front driver and passenger side bearings. You can just fix the one going bad, but it probably won't be long until the other one goes. Like I said I just waited, but it wasn't long until I had to replace the other.

I know there is a recall on the wheel bearings for Caravans, but unfortunately mine had just ran out when my bearing went out. I took it to the dealer to see and when they said no I decided to do it on my own. You local dealer should be able to tell you if it is still under warranty. Good luck.

 

I went to the dealership over the weekend and indeed the wheel bearings are causing the noise. I asked the service technician to drive the vehicle so he can hear the problem. He said I would have to replace the front wheel bearings. The cost of service is $850 and each wheel bearing is $225 which includes the hub. I'm sure I can get this fixed at a cheaper rate. Unfortunately I'm not well versed with fixing my cars.

Also I was wondering if I could utilize aftermarket wheel bearings and parts? I always hear its best to use OEM parts because if fixed with aftermarket, the problem doesn't go away.

 

I am going to do a wheel hub on my Gen 4 tomorrow. I will be using an aftermarket hub ($40.00). Check out Rockauto.com, they have a large selection.
This will be the 5th Wheel hub I've replaced over the last 10 years, over 4 cars.

Update:

Just finish replacing the hub. Was easier than expected. The hub looks like it was replaced before, but was defiantly bad. Whoever did the work before did not torque the axle nut, it came loose with almost no effort. This probably caused premature failure of the hub. But the noise and vibration are gone now.